The Indian cricket team and its premier spinner Ravichandran Ashwin held on to their numero uno status in the latest ICC Test rankings for teams and bowlers respectively.
South African cricketer Faf du Plessis has now reportedly turned the tables on the visitors by claiming that something was amiss about the ball reversing so early on the third day of the decisive third Test at Newlands.
Dale Steyn became the second South African bowler to claim 400 Test wickets.
Off-spinner R Ashwin, who has been phenomenal in home conditions, has made it to the Test team as the 12th man, while pacer Mohammed Shami has been included in the ODI team.
Making traditional leg-spin look attractive and effective in the opening One-day International against South Africa, India's Amit Mishra is keen to hold on to his ODI spot after an impressive return to the limited-overs field, in Kanpur, on Sunday.
AB de Villiers has been ruled out of South Africa's two-test home series against New Zealand this month with an injured elbow and Faf du Plessis will take over the captaincy.
England's top order crumbled to 20 for six wickets in five overs as they were dismissed for a modest total of 153 before the Proteas cruised to a seven-wicket victory for a consolation triumph after the hosts won the first two matches of the series.
JP Duminy and Stephen Cook scored half centuries but four wickets for Suranga Lakmal and two for Rangana Herath restricted South Africa to 267 for six on the opening day of the first Test against Sri Lanka on Monday. Duminy made 63 and Cook 59 as South Africa threatened to dominate on a dry track at St George's Park but wickets at key moments kept Sri Lanka firmly in the game.
Pakistan fast bowler Wahab Riaz has apologised to the nation for the team's failure in the World Cup quarter-final against Australia.
AB de Villiers described his appointment as captain of South Africa's Test team as the fulfilment of a life-long dream but it will raise further questions about the burden on the team's outstanding player.
Smashing Warner. Amazing Stokes. Super Smith. Pure Amla...
Faf du Plessis scored his fourth test century but rain ruined the morning session as South Africa went to lunch on 289 for three on day two of the second Test against West Indies at St George's Park on Saturday.
Kings XI Punjab will once again be facing a 'do-or-die' situation during their penultimate round encounter against table toppers Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, in Mumbai, on Thursday.
Kings XI Punjab will look to go all guns blazing against down and out Gujarat Lions in Mohali.
Images from Day 1 of the first Test between India and South Africa in Mohali, on Thursday.
Quinton de Kock top scored as all South Africa's batsmen got among the runs in a score of 283 for three on the first day of the second Test against New Zealand at Centurion on Saturday.
Images from the World Cup match between South Africa and Zimbabwe at Hamilton, New Zealand.
South African speedster Dale Steyn will miss the fourth and final test against India with a lingering groin injury that has limited his participation in the four-match series to a solitary contest in the series-opener in Mohali.
'Not having the best bowler in the world is never a nice thing.' 'It is not the name that we play, it is a cricket ball that we face.'
India's Team Director Ravi Shastri indicated that Ravichandran Ashwin will play in the opening cricket Test against South Africa, saying the off-spinner is "absolutely fine".
India retained the No 1 spot in the latest Reliance ODI team rankings while Virat Kohli maintained the number two position with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni static at the seventh place in the batting chart released in Dubai.
Two Indian batsmen are now in the top five of the ICC ODI rankings, with Virat Kohli remaining at number three and opener Shikhar Dhawan climbing up the ladder to fifth after earning four places in the latest list issued on Wednesday.
'We have the likes of (captain) Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma, who have the ability to dig in and score big runs and I also like the way that Rassie (van der Dussen) has come in and grown in that team.'
South Africa recalled hard-hitting all-rounder Albie Morkel on Monday in their squad for the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh starting next month.
Virat Kohli enters the three match ODI series against Bangladesh starting on Wednesday as the highest-ranked batsman on either side, in fourth place in the ICC rankings.
India's swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar on Tuesday jumped eight places to a career-best 22 following his impressive show in a lost cause in the first Test against South Africa but Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara slipped in the ICC ranking ladder.
The Proteas have been named Team of the Year at the 2013 South African Sports Awards function at Sun City.
Former South Africa coach Gary Kirsten is to make a surprise return to the national team just months after he resigned by rejoining as a "batting mentor," Cricket South Africa said.
Captain Faf du Plessis led from the front with a hard-earned century to give South Africa a commanding 205-run advantage at the end of the second day of the second Test against Pakistan, at Newlands, on Friday.
Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma compared Mumbai Indians' incredible 200-run chase inside 16 overs with their victory against Rajasthan Royals during the 2014 edition of the Indian Premier League.
Rain and an on-field injury which prevented South African opener Hashim Amla from batting spurred Sri Lanka to a 17-run win under the Duckworth-Lewis method in the second One-dayer in Colombo on Tuesday.
Leg-spinner Amit Mishra is disappointed that the good showing of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and him in the ongoing Test series against South Africa hasn't got the credit it deserves.
Captain Steve Smith scored a breezy 44 to guide Australia to a six-wicket win over South Africa in the final Twenty20 International on Wednesday and a 2-1 series victory.
South Africa need seven more wickets to win the third Test at the Wanderers and sweep the series after Pakistan were 153 for three wickets at the close of play on Sunday, still 228 runs short of a daunting winning target.
Opener Stephen Cook scored a career-high century to help South Africa build a massive 432-run lead over Sri Lanka despite rain delays on the third day of the first Test at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth.
Ben Stokes claimed a wicket for England in the first session of the third cricket test at the Wanderers on Thursday, but South Africa dealt with the early swing from the bowlers and advanced to 73 for one at lunch. South African wicketkeeper Dane Vilas was forced to make a desperate dash to the ground, including a police escort from the airport, after being called up as a late replacement for the injured Quinton de Kock. Stiaan van Zyl was the only wicket to fall for South Africa as he top-edged an attempted pull straight up in the air and was caught by wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow off Stokes' bowing for 21.
'He is very special. I believe he is going to be one of the best that Pakistan have ever produced'
Chasing an improbable target of 490 to level the series, the tourists finished day three on 139-5, their highest total in the spin-dominated series, at Colombo's Sinhalese Sports Club Ground.
India's Cheteshwar Pujara slipped a rung to seventh in the batting list but R Ashwin remained steady at fifth in the bowling chart of the latest ICC Test rankings issued on Thursday.
South Africa's pace bowlers laid the foundation for a crushing nine-wicket victory over Pakistan in the first Twenty20 international at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
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